Category: Crowdfunding

If you participate in any organized sporting events, there’s a good shot you will end up with a medal. Running races generally give out medals for half-marathon and marathon distances, and championships in team sports often also reward players with hardware. Yes, there’s an easy joke here about how these days “everyone gets a medal” but they make great souvenirs …

I have come to love bluetooth speaker systems; their ability to stream audio from a phone or tablet is extremely convenient. In fact, when I am camping or outside on the deck, I almost refuse to use a wired speaker system. New technologies and design features make these products sound and look great. One feature I wish all companies would …

The iLID began life as a Kickstarter Project. (Here’s the page.) I got in on it later, so I ordered one retail (I ended up with two, so be on the lookout for a giveaway). Here’s what the website has to say about it. The World’s Thinnest iPhone Wallet! The iLID iPhone 4 Wallet Case is the thinnest Wallet iPhone (Patent …

The Elevation Dock is one of the Kickstarter projects I have been most excited to see actually ship. I love my iPhone but hate the way most docks make it a challenge to put your iPhone in or remove it. After all, the 30-pin connector is the most vulnerable part of the iPhone other than the screen (and I would …

The most expensive Kickstart Project that Judie and I have backed just got funded. (Okay, “over-funded if there is such a thing”.) The Brydge is an elegant solution to the lack of quality iPad keyboards and accessories currently on the market. Brydge connects to your iPad using a patent-pending hinge which allows for close to 180 degrees of iPad positioning …

Using an iPhone and or iPad throughout most days, there is one thing I have learned. My hands can sure make a touch screen smudged up and grimy. While coaching my high school softball team this year, we used the iPad to collect all of the game stats. While this was awesome, I found myself cleaning my iPad after every …

The cellhelmet is one of the Kickstarter projects I backed that was actually successful, produced and shipped. (You can read the initial Kickstert This! post here.) Yes, my cellhelmet arrived the other day and I was excited to get it on my phone. It stayed there for about an hour and then came off, was repackaged and prepped to give …

We love Kickstarter; Dan and I (along with others on the Gear Diary team) have backed many projects, and we are always on the look out for new ones. That is, of course, why we started Kickstart This! We love the way that Kickstarter helps inventors and artists get funding so that their products and projects will be available to …

I love the idea of having a set, stable place to drop my iPhone and charge it. The Element Case Vapor Dock (reviewed here) is a great dock. But it could be better. I mean, imagine something as solid and gorgeous as the Vapor Dock but also lets you dock and undock your iPhone in a millisecond. That’s what the …

Not all Kickstarter Projects are winners. And not all Kickstarter creatives have the integrity we want and expect. This is one example of a Kickstarter Project that looked great, had tons of promise but went sour… sour enough that I would NEVER AGAIN back a project offered by the folks who brought this forth. Project Title: SolMate: iPhone’s Hottest Solar, …

We get a lot of gear sent to us in my household. Most of it disappears into my office/gear cave, and occasionally I ask Sarah for help with reviewing it. She rarely, if ever, comments on the items, but the SlingShot caught her attention. We used it on a few hikes to take video and photos, and today Sarah declared …

I never used to buy insurance for my phones but, with the iPhone costing as much as it does, I’ve begun doing just that. This project seeks to reshape the entire approach to device protection both in terms of physical protection AND accidental damage coverage if things go terribly wrong. Project Title: cellhelmet – 1st & Only Case That Guarantees the …

Here’s a Kickstarter project that closes in just two hours… if you want to back it get in NOW. Yes, this project is already funded and it closes at 4:06 GMT May 13, 2012! Project Title: Ultima – Best In Car Holder Dock Mount for iPhone and more! Status: In Progress Closing Date for Funding: Sunday May 13, 2012 …

Project Title: Prinz: The Courage to Speak, a documentary film about controversy, history and the power of a voice. Status: $18,222 raised of the $20K goal Closing Date for Funding: May 24, 2012 URL of the Project: Prinz: The Courage to Speak From the Creatives: In Berlin in the 1930’s, the civil rights of Jews were systematically stripped away. A young rabbi …

Here’s a project that is already a winner and it still has 9 days to go before backing closes down. (That isn’t quite true, so read on.) This smart watch is “Pebble is the first watch built for the 21st century” and it clearly struck a cord with many of us. Yes, the funding goal was a mere $100,000 but …

Here’s a rather unusual iPhone dock that is looking for backers. The team behind the ODOC let us know that they are about half way toward reaching their financial backing goal. The way Kickstarter works, if they do not reach it the project will not go forward. Well… I like this dock and want it to happen, so we’ll focus …

The LunaTik Touch Pen is the second product from the team that brought us the very first Kickstarter project I backed- TikTok and LunaTik Multi-Touch Watch Kits for use with the iPod nano. That project was funded back in November of 2010 and was a home run for the company and for the “wear your iPod nano like a watch” …

The Brydge is a Kickstarter Project that Judie came across. It is a keyboard, case, speaker in one that effectively turns the iPad into a laptop. The funding goal was $90,000 and they have thus far raised over $460,000 in pledges with 30 days to go. Here’s the rundown. Project Title: Brydge + iPad: Do more. Status: In Progress Closing …

Depending upon how you look at it, the last week has either been a great Kickstarter week for Judie and me, or it was a very bad one. I saw one project, and I was interested enough to back it. I emailed the link to Judie, and she backed it, too. The next day I got an email from her …